OK, maybe casseroles aren’t cutting-edge chic. But it’s hard to question the practical value of good one-dish meals. Casseroles are easy to prepare and portable; best of all, they can be made in advance and refrigerated or frozen.

They can be down-home delicious, and for many they are the ultimate comfort food.

“I think people think of them as comfort food because they are warm, uncomplicated, and remind us of times past,” says Beatrice Ojakangas, author of “The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever” (Chronicle, $24.95). “We’re going through uncomfortable times, so it’s the comfort food aspect that comes up a lot,” she said in a telephone conversation from her home in Duluth, Minn., on a day when it is 20-below zero outside there.

Ojakangas, the award-winning author of more than 20 cookbooks, says that casseroles are making a comeback and have many more redeeming qualities that contribute to their popularity. One: they can be made ahead. Two: they aren’t intimidating. Three (and perhaps most importantly): they can be economical.

She tested each one of the book’s 500 casseroles, giving away completed concoctions to needy families and students when her home freezer became jam packed.

The first chapter in her book deals with making quick sauces from scratch to substitute for the ’50s classic ingredient, the cream-of-something soup. They are quick-to-make sauces such as Basic Mushroom Sauce, Basic Cheese Sauce and Quick Alfredo Sauce.

“These homemade sauces offer options to make tastier dishes, that are healthier and less expensive,” she said, adding that home cooks can use canned soup if they prefer. Each sauce is designed to replace one 10 3/4-ounce can of soup.

Kid Casseroles

I think the “Casseroles for Kids” chapter could be especially helpful to parents of young children. Children often turn their noses up at foods that are “mixed up.” But she went out of her way to find combinations that would be pleasing, while incorporating whole-grain pastas and vegetables wherever appropriate.

“Long before I wrote the book, I taught my grandson to make the Mac And Cheese To Beat The Clock,” she says. “He was only 7 but caught on quickly. I keep a package of shredded sharp cheddar cheese in the freezer so we can make this dish when my grandchildren visit.”

She says that in general children like casseroles with ingredients such as hamburger or pasta, offering her Pizza Casserole For Kids as another favorite example.

Chicken Fav for a Crowd

Oozing with an alluring cream sauce, her Pasta and Chicken Alfredo can easily be multiplied to feed large gatherings. She said that it recently was chosen to feed 200 guests attending a convention and was a big hit.

The made-from-scratch Alfredo sauce is key to its success. She says bottled Alfredo sauce can have a “funny taste.” Her sauce is made with cream cheese, milk, Parmesan cheese and butter. All four ingredients cook together on low heat for 15 minutes, with a gentle stir required every couple of minutes. Easy.

When entertaining a crowd in her home, especially when she is tight on time, she often serves her “default meal,” a Karelian Hot Pot. It’s a Finnish stew that is adapted to be served as a casserole. The dish showcases three meats — 1 1/2-inch cubes of beef, pork and lamb.

“This dish is so versatile,” she says. “You can use just beef and pork, if you prefer. It’s so simple that you don’t even need to be careful about the measurements.”

The hearty meat dish is served with hot buttered noodles or mashed potatoes as well as fresh seasonal vegetables.

Fish and shellfish casseroles

Seafood — whether canned, fresh or frozen — has a long history as an important casserole headliner. The tuna-noodle casserole was a 1950s classic.

If the butter doesn’t scare you off, the Poor Man’s Lobster is a knockout. It’s a simple cod casserole that teams the fish with fresh parsley, salt, pepper, paprika and, yes, plenty of butter.

Easy to prepare, the dish could be a delectable last-minute company dish. Serve it with boiled or wine-braised fingerling potatoes and sautéed spinach. Be sure to garnish each serving with a couple of fresh lemon wedges.